Tips to consider before having your family's Easter portrait taken

Since Easter is next Sunday, March 31, now would be an ideal time to take an Easter portrait with the family to secure a lifelong memory for you all to cherish.

Andre Lamar

Since Easter is next Sunday, March 31, now would be an ideal time to take an Easter portrait with the family to secure a lifelong memory for you all to cherish.

Hence, Amber Shader, 34, and owner of Amber Shader Photography in Middletown, caught up with the Middletown Transcript to discuss a few pro tips parents should consider before bringing their children to an Easter portrait session. Shader also gave insight on some the creativity she brings to the table during a shoot.

Shader's work has been featured nationally in acclaimed news outlets including Martha Stewart Weddings, Style Me Pretty and Animal Planet.

Q In general, what should parents have in mind before having their family's Easter portrait taken?A The biggest thing is you can never predict how a child is going to act at the session, so parents need to make sure they're not overly stressed about the session. I make it as laidback as possible. I want to make it fun for the kids and stress-free for the parents. I've had moms and dads say to me after they've seen the pictures: "How did you capture that?," because kids cry and they have tantrums. But it's their sweet little moments in between that you're able to capture. The mom and dad might be stressed out, but the kid could turn to you and smile. Sometimes I'll take the parents a little bit out of the equation, too, because obviously kids know how to press their parents' buttons. Sometimes if the parents are just dealing with me one-on-one, and the mom and dad is talking with each other, it gives them great bonding time, too.

Q What are your thoughts on families wearing matching outfits?A It's up to the individual family, but…not everybody has to wear the same colors. Wear colors that compliment on the color wheel, but not everything has to be the same. (For an example, see the photo of the Heyse family portrait.)

Q How do you capture the spirit of a child?A This is something I want potential clients, or future clients, to know: don't be surprised if in the first 10 minutes during the actual session if I'm down on the ground playing with kids on their level. That's how you get the kids to feel comfortable in front of your camera. There's a ton of amazing photography gear out there. If you watch the Eagles games, you'll see the huge lenses photographers use. You shouldn't intimidate a child like that. So I use a lot of fast (prime) lenses and they tend to be smaller lenses. Another thing I do is, whatever they're interested in, I usually put stickers on my camera, so they know to look right at my camera.